


The Eternal Wanderer

by Radar7189



Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5270282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radar7189/pseuds/Radar7189
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for Series Finale. This Is Season 6. There was so much unused set up for Tamsin in season 5 & I intend to use every prompt & hint the LG writers left. (I'm interactive, so if you noticed one, drop me a line!) I won't b changing 5, because sometimes life sucks & we just have to deal with it. This is me dealing with it. Eventual but slow burn Valkubus. Feedback is welcomed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"As long as we are under the stars, we are home."

She was heavily bundled against the icy winds. The bulk of the clothing, itself, had become too cumbersome for her to continue. Her very bones ached from the climb. She paused right before she crested the final ridge of the mountaintop, and turned to take in the path behind her, as she caught her breath. She shivered as she internally cursed herself for stopping. She was so close. In the peacefulness of the isolation around her, she could feel her heart beating strong and fast. She could almost hear it. She was filled with the anticipation and the dread of what she would find. She glanced once more at the trail behind, took in a deep breath and lifted her heavy feet once again.

Step by step, until she was finally rewarded with the sight she had hoped for, yet had steeled herself against seeing. She was standing on the edge of a depression on the mountain top, shielding what lay in the middle from the outside world. She was transfixed by the beacon of flames before her. Her loose auburn hair flitted unnoticed around her. The cold. The exertion. All was forgotten as she moved forward. Not since the age of lore had the fire burned. Not since the ancients had fought amongst themselves and divvied up the world, had this mountain top felt this kind of heat. The ancient alter was ablaze. The carved runes at the base almost glowing. Flames reaching into the sky. The air was warm, but not hot. It cascaded around her, warming her to her core. She moved toward its base, pulled towards it. Shedding the outer layers of clothing, as she went. Finally, she dropped to her knees near the edge. Her voice was low, filled with astonishment and awe,"it's true", echoed in the vastness around her.

Most of the patrons of the Dahl turned towards the door. The power of her current station, ruling Valhalla, seemed to radiate off of her. Acacia ignored the eyes following her as she scanned the room for her purpose there, this night. The blonde head turned to see what the others were looking at. Acacia's heart clenched for a moment when their eyes met. Her Tamsin. The resemblance was unmistakable. She sauntered up to the bar right next to her, and leaned her elbow against the dark, rich surface of the bar top. Oblivious to those who were moving to stand closer to the young Valkyrie, Acacia maintained eye contact with only the young Valkyrie. She quirked up the corner of her mouth, her voice filled with bravado, confidence, authority, and a little mirth as Acacia said, "So, you're the little brat."

Dagny smirked as she looked the woman up and down, "Brat? Who the hell are you."

Acacia's hearty laughter punctuated her words, "You are your mothers daughter!" She slapped the bar as she turned to Dyson, "Wolf. Make yourself useful and pour me something strong."

Dyson eyed Acacia warily but nodded as he sat a glass in front of her. Standing in Tricks stead had taught him to observe. To allow things to unfold, but the wolf in him always remained vigilant.

Acacia allowed her attention to move from the questioning young Valkyrie to the dark brown eyes glaring at her. Without breaking eye contact, she moved her hand over the glass as Dyson was about to pour the amber liquid into it. "Better just leave the bottle" remaining relaxed, leaning against the bar.

Dyson nodded, but leaned over towards Acacia, who slowly turned to face him as he spoke. "Tread lightly Acacia, she under the protection of us all."

The rest of the patrons had lost interest and gone back to their activities. Acacia simply nodded to the wolf as she turned back towards the others. She internally settled herself, able now to focus only on those that were surrounding Tamsin's daughter and herself. Tamsin's "family". As much as Acacia was glad that Tamsin had found the strength she had need through these people, she couldn't help but forget the pain they had also caused her.

The succubus had moved to position herself between her charge and Acacia. She turned towards the young blonde put her hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, "Dagny, this is Acacia." She paused a moment and glanced back at Acacia before turning back to Dagny. "She is the leader of the Valkyrie."

Dagny had already been subjected to a great deal since she was brought into the bar, earlier that day. Bo couldn't help but smile broader as she saw the confident look on Dagny's face as she inspected Acacia. The look she saw on that young face echoed that of her mother. But, under her fingers on Dagny's shoulder she could feel the young Valkyries heart beat picking up speed. Bo knew that the worst part of being new to the Fae, was not truly knowing what she was dealing with. But, as Dagny glanced at Bo and then back to Acacia, Bo remembered that they had given Dagny the safety of growing up amidst humans, but they had always made her place, and her heritage known to her.

So, Bo wasn't surprised at all when Dagny, stepped forward and queried, Acacia. She tilted her head as she spoke, "The leader of the Valkyrie, huh? Does that make you a Queen?"

Acacia took a huge swallow of her drink before replying, "That you even have to ask that is why I'm here." She nodded towards the succubus. "I appreciate all that you've done, but I believe it's my turn to teach this girl about who she is."

Bo, had hoped for Acacia's simple curiosity. She knew that Acacia had been important to Tamsin, but she could never make herself trust Acacia fully. She ventured that at some level, neither had Tamsin. Seeing that it wasn't curiosity, she moved herself back between the young and old Valkyrie. "What do you mean, teach her who she is? She knows exactly who she is, and who her mother was and who she chooses to be is entirely up to her"

Acacia had been as hopeful as a weathered Valkyrie could be, but she knew that the task before her was not going to be an easy one. She stood from her laxed position against the bar "Entirely up to her. Now that's a novel idea." Raising her hands and rolling her eyes, then slapping one hand down on the bar. " It took Tamsin several lifetimes, far more than the rest of us, to find herself. To become her strongest. To finally reach the place to leave behind this child. Her legacy. But, before all of that, before all of you, she didn't get there by frolicking around with humans.." She rolled her eyes slightly as she glanced at the human doctor whose mouth had opened a little. Acacia quickly added "no offense". Lauren closed her mouth and Acacia sighed heavily turning her back to them as she refilled her glass, speaking as she poured. "Tamsin…. Hell! All of us, got there by learning our role. Learning our history. Fighting the battles. By learning the hard way" she glanced at the wolf before turning back to Bo, lowering her voice to a less combative but patronizing tone, "So Come on now, Succubus. Now that she is of age, don't you think Tamsin would want her daughter to know how to use her own powers, to be amongst her kind? To know all of those little things about her kind that the world around is not privy to?" She glanced around at the others in the little family. " I couldn't even fill a thimble with what you all know about Valkyries."

She finally settled her full attention back to Dagny.

In the young Valkyries eyes, the woman before her seemed to grow in stature. Her eyes seemingly sinking into shadows, as she asked Dagney, "Do you know how to enter Valhalla? How to collect a soul? How about something simple like, I bet you don't even know how to use your doubt!"

Dagny could feel the anger welling inside her, amidst the doubt seeping into her mind. What was Acacia doing to her? She stepped back under the pressure she felt in her head as she continued to stare at the older woman before, entranced by those dark eyes. All of the very same questions she had asked herself, her self-doubt welling up. She aggressively shook her head. She didn't know any of those things. What kind of Valkyrie was she? How could she live up to the legend that was her mother?

Dagny only vaguely felt Bo put her hand on her arm. She couldn't even make out what they were saying around her. Words. Broken sentences. She felt the hand on her arm. Bo's hand. The woman Kenzi had told her that her mother had loved with all of her heart. She felt anger begin to grow inside as she shrugged Bo's hand off. She felt disconnected but could feel the power burning inside her. She brought her attention back to Acacia as a smirk grew on her own face. She could suddenly see the woman before her in a different way. Almist as if she coluld see her thoughts, her fears. Dagney had no idea that shadows were now surrounding her own eyes. Her voice didn't even sound the same coming out of her own mouth, but it all felt good. It felt powerful. It felt right as she spoke to the older Valkyrie, "and who are you to teach me anything? Some jaded old Valkyrie. How can you be so old and yet still be alive? Did you cower to protect your own precious life?" On instinct, Dagney reached out and grabbed Acacia's hand.

For only a flutter of a moment, something akin to shock flowed through Acacia. It wasn't even detectable to the others. She pulled, almost jerking her hand away from the young Valkyrie's. Her eyes still focused only on Dagney. In somewhat of awe, she shook her head, her voice low, "aren't you just full of surprises?" She quickly shook off her own amazement, as she rubbed away the tingle still running through her flesh. She leaned back against the bar as her laughter began to vibrate from her throat. "Lesson number one, young padawan. Anger. Pride. Doubt. All tools to defend yourself. To call upon your power within." She raised her glass in a toast as she continued to speak, "and very good for your first try, I must say. Very good indeed" before once again draining her glass.

Dagny finally came out of the haze she was in and realized the concern in the faces of those around her. The words spoken from those around her became clearer….

"what did you do…."

"…Acacia!"

a deeper voice shouting, "Out! I said everyone out!"

"Dagny are you ok…..Dagny!...Dagny!"

She finally looked at Bo, whose eyes were darting around her face, her features etched in concern. "Dagny. Are you ok." She could only nod as Bo pulled her into a hug.

Bo's now glowing blue eyes locked onto Acacia's over Dagney's shoulder

Acacia rolled her eyes as she watched them surround Dagny. After a few moments, she stood. "And this is why she should go with me. Look at you people, coddling her as if she's an infant! She is the daughter of a proud warrior, a sister of a powerful race and you are all afraid of her feeling the effect of her own power."

Bo continued to glare at Acacia. Her eyes were determined and hard as she stared at her. "Tamsin asked me to look after her. Not you! That's what Tamsin wanted." Bo's eyes softened at the memory of that moment. Her voice began to waver. "I promised her that I would do everything to protect her and I will not pass that responsibility…..that honor over to you. I will learn." She stepped out of her embrace with Dagney and glanced around at the others as she finished her thought… "We will learn!"

Acacia laughed again as she scrutinized the sudden change in the Succubus' demeanor. It had been years since Tamsin had risen and yet the emotion she now saw in the Succubus' face showed it still hurt her as if it had been yesterday. 'Curious', she thought to herself before responding, "Is that how it is? And how do you plan on doing that? Did Tamsin tell you all of our little secrets?" her eyebrow raised rhetorically. "Of course she didn't because we are all honor bound through our own blood, not to."

Lauren suddenly perked up and ran down to the library, Trick's old lair. She quickly returned and proudly laid the worn leather book on the bar in front of Acacia. "We will learn from this. Tamsin left us everything we ever needed to know." She stepped back and stood proudly beside Dagny.

Acacia chuckled as she flipped through the book before her, murmuring under her breath, "well that little shit." She felt the others step on each side of her as she glanced through the pages.

She stated out loud, "A diary. Why doesn't it surprise me? Tamsin was always good at getting around the rules." She smiled proudly as she continued turning the pages. She breathed in deeply, stopping on one page, nodding her head, murmuring under her breath again. "why, you little bitch" and then chuckled out loud again. She finished off the rest of the bottle and slapped her hand down on the open page. Leaving the open book on the bar she turned around and faced the others. "I will never understand what it was that Tamsin saw in all of you…." Glancing at Bo "…and especially you. But, in her honor, I will give you your chance." She pushed through them all and turned to face them when she reached the door. "But! I will be watching." She settled her gaze on Dagny who was standing tall with her arms crossed over her chest in a pose very reminiscent of Tamsin's. Acacia grinned, shaking her head as she turned to leave "so much like her mother"….. and she was gone.

As soon as the door had closed, they all breathed in a sigh of relief. Dagny looked at Dyson, her nose scrunched up, "can you beer me now? I used my powers after all." Dyson laughed as he sat a filled mug on the bar. He still couldn't believe how very much like Tamsin she was.

Dagny coughed out after drinking a sip of her drink, "Dude! Root beer? Are you kidding me?"

Dyson grabbed the cloth and began rubbing down the counter while he put away Acacia's empty glass and bottle. "I told you! You underage. Not much longer, I'm sure. You'll live." Dagny rolled her eyes while Dyson laughed.

Lauren had sat down in front of the open book and was reading through what was on the pages. She was still learning the language Tamsin used in her diary, but she got the gist of what she was reading. "Ummm guys? I think you need to see this."


	2. Chapter 2

Acacia was sitting at her ornate desk looking over the books when Stacy walked in. She looked around the room as she walked towards the desk. "You're up late."

Acacia only shrugged

Sitting on the edge of the desk Stacey asked, "So, where's the kid?"

Acacia dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair. "Change of plans. Turns out Tamsin was a bad girl."

Stacy got off the desk and plopped down in the nearby chair. "There's no way that shocks you."

Acacia picked up her tumbler and took a swig. "Hardly."

Stacy leaned forward and put her elbows down on the hard surface. "So, what's the plan now?"

Acacia stood and circled around. "They will come to me. So all I have to do now is sit back…" she looked around at the overly decorated office and rolled her eyes."….in this retched place, and wait"

"You know if you don't like Freya's taste, you could always change it." She picked up the ornate ink well from the desk and grimaced. "It looks like some weird museum in here"

Acacia ignored Stacy's ramblings, "Speaking of which, how is the Queen bitch acclimating to her new accommodations?"

Stacy dropped the ink well back on to the desk leaned back and pulled her legs up into the chair, crossing them under her. "She hates it, and I love it!" then she frowned, "but I think she secretly enjoys taking it out on the damned."

Acacia had sat back down and picked her pen back up. She shook her head as she focused back on the work at hand. "That doesn't surprise me in the least." She stopped abruptly and looked up at Stacy. "She still doesn't know about Tamsin does she?"

Stacy smiled slyly as she tilted her head. "Freya? Nope, not a thing. She doesn't even now she kicked the bucket. But, you should know that I have heard whispers in the halls, here in Valhalla. Practically everyone knows about Hades. How the succubus vanquished him. There are many who are afraid of her, now. Of what she could do. But, me personally? I don't think she has it in her. So did you tell them that Tam called you, you now….before?"

Acacia sat back in her chair, putting her fingertips together as she exhaled heavily shaking her head no, "I never show all my cards until the game is over. And make no mistake. The succubus does indeed have it in her, but she won't be a threat to anyone unless her family is threatened. Of that I'm sure." Acacia thought for a moment and then added. "Tell Freya, I will be by to check in on her soon and you keep your eyes open. Evil has a way of clawing its way back into the world of the living, it's only a matter of time." She picked her pen back up and went back to her paperwork.

Stacy saw that as her permission to leave. She stopped at the door. And turned to look at Acacia. "I can't believe I'm going to say this. But, I actually miss Tamsin."

Acacia stopped writing but didn't even look up at Stacy. When she heard the door close, she dropped her pen again, pulled open the desk and pulled out a small black feather from a small box inside her desk. Leaning back, admiring the feather she breathed out, "Yeah…..Me, too." She sighed as she put the feather back in its box, brushing a finger over its delicate tuft , "but that kid of your sure is something Tams" then closed the drawer.

The Dahl was already empty, Vex, Mark and Dyson had already gathered around Lauren. Dagny stood in the same spot she had been in when Acacia had left. She was staring down at her hands. A pensive look on her face. Bo noticed and put her hand on Lauren's shoulder, nodded toward Dagny and asked them to give them a minute. Lauren glanced over her shoulder at Dagny, then looked back to Bo and nodded.

Bo walked over to Dagny and put her hand lightly on her shoulder. "Honey, are you ok? That was pretty intense."

Dagny took in a deep breath, looked up, and nodded. "Honestly it felt pretty freaky at first"...her features changed to that of wonderment..." but then it felt pretty awesome. I mean it's like I could read every line in her face and just knew what to say. So then it was pretty cool."

Bo huffed out a laugh and patted her shoulder. She smiled and said, "You know that your life is your own. Right? We want you to stay with us, but you are the one who gets to decide."

Dagny reached up and patted Bo's hand on her shoulder, returning her smile. "I know. Kenzi never let me forget that I could live the life I chose. Yeah. I'm curious about what I could learn from them, but I've waited what feels like forever to meet you, and all of them and I think for now… I will stay put. Besides, I'm sure Momz will be here soon enough to wave her hands, spout off in some Russian gibberish and then fuss at me about sneaking off."

Bo laughed, "well you didn't actually sneak off, just so you know, she just let you go. And it was none to fun for me to hear her panicking on the phone after you left. It was everything she could do to keep from stopping you. But, considering you get how headstrong you are honestly, she knew you were ready to come back to us. Little did we know that Mark would find you making out in a car! You work fast young lady!"

Dagny stood up straighter and said, "Well, ya know. When you've got it, you've got it."

It took all Bo could do, not to burst out laughing but somehow she sensed this was not the appropriate time to tell her how much she was like her mother. So, she schooled her reaction and simply replied, "well that may be, but that girl was a human and until you have a grasp on your powers, you have to be careful around humans. But, look there will be time to discuss this later. Kenzi should be here in the morning, so if I know Kenz, you should practice apologizing." They both laughed as Dagny nodded.

Bo put both hands on the young girl's shoulders and turned her toward the others, leaning over her shoulder, "Let's go see what your mom wrote?"

Dagny nodded excitedly at the mention of her mother. She wanted to know everything she could about her. After the little rush of anger she felt at Bo when she was using her powers against Acacia, she had to admit, overall she felt a lot more comfortable around Bo than she had thought she would. She felt much more familiar to her than just the stories she had heard from Kenzi. She shrugged and followed Bo back to the bar.

When they were both were where they could see, Lauren turned back to the open pages, pointing to the foreign words on the page. She apologized ahead of time for her slow reading before proceeding to translate each word.

"I am not sure what to think. Arun rose today. When she arrived in Valhalla there were the usual parties, ceremonies and all. I couldn't help but watch her. What it must feel like to take your place among the stars. To transcend the rules we live by, to travel among the realms at will. To know all of life's little secrets. There was not even any sign of anything that had troubled her before, only this sense of peace and calm. I didn't expect that….I mean, yeah she had a few quirks, A few missteps but overall, Arun always did what she was supposed to. Her legacy left to replace her. She always followed the rules and here I am in my last life with so much unfinished. So much undone. So many mistakes. I am already so tired and I can't even imagine making it through the war that we all know is coming because of the Blood King, much less finding the key to my legacy before my last day. No…. I am not sure what to think right now….. Except that I know that will never be me. "

When Lauren was done. They all sat back, contemplating what Acacia had obviously thought was important enough for them to see. Bo leaned back, with a small smile on her face. Her mind going back to that moment before Tamsin rose. That look of serenity and acceptance on Tamsin's face as she looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. Bo couldn't help but feel pride at knowing such an exceptional woman. Being able to witness her transformation into the woman she ultimately became. To be there as she accomplished something she didn't think she could do for so long. As she surfed through her memories, there was a tug at her heart. Life just hadn't been the same since that day. Her thoughts were halted abruptly when Dagny stood up excitedly from her barstool. "Hold on, so this means my Momma has been in Valhalla all this time? I'm a Valkyrie, too, right? Doesn't that mean I can just go see her?"

Lauren nodded, "Well, theoretically, yes. According to everything I was able to find after Tamsin rose, she definitely should be in Valhalla. In the hall of heroes, to be exact. You know, it's quite fascinating actually, what happens when ..."

Bo could see the excitement suddenly turn to distress on Dagny's face and abruptly stopped Lauren, who followed Bo's eyes to rest on Dagny.

Dagny looked at each of them, "why didn't anyone tell me this before? Why didn't anyone tell me I could see my mother?"

Bo had turned fully towards Dagny and was about to speak but Mark spoke up first, "You know…that lady didn't really talk like she had spoken to Tamsin…" he glanced over at Vex who nodded for him to continue. " I mean she didn't actually say Tamsin told her to get Dagny."

Lauren agreed, "You're right Mark. That is strange. So, Tamsin should be in Valhalla, but if she isn't. That had to be what Acacia wanted us to know."

Bo spoke up, "So where is she?"

They had all talked for a little while longer before deciding that they were going to have to figure out how to get in touch with Acacia and that there was nothing more they could do that night. It had been an exciting day for Dagny, who was visibly upset, and Bo had wanted to get her to her house to get some sleep.

Lauren decided to go back to her lab and give Dagny and Bo some privacy of their own. Over the years she had read everything she could get her hands on, about Valkyrie's in preparation for the day that Dagny would have questions. She was kicking herself for not reading Tamsin's diary sooner. She had picked it up many times, but after just reading a few pages, she had realized how very private it was and felt like it wasn't her right to read it. It didn't matter to her at that moment that without Acacia's input, they probably would not have known that anything would be different from how it should have been. Frustrated that she couldn't do more to help, she decided to do what she was best at. Science.

Lauren spent most of the night at her lab pouring over the DNA samples she had gotten from Dagny. The results were conclusive but she was perplexed by the results. After running the test for the third time and getting the same result she put her hands down hard on the table exclaiming, "Damnit! What am I doing wrong? How did I taint the samples?" She was about to run the test cycle yet again when she heard the all too familiar voice behind her.

"Well, well, well! Burning the midnight oil again, I see. I honestly didn't expect to see you here tonight what with the new house guest and all"'

Lauren answered but continued looking through her microscope, "Evony, now is really not a good time to discuss my work habits..." then reluctantly looked up when she heard Evony chuckle, "...besides don't you have some young artist's brain to melt?"

Evony "oh posh, you know this is the kinder gentler me! After all, it was my turn to bring the wine!" She held up the bottle of wine, "so, enough about me, what has the brilliant doctor so flustered this evening?" as she grabbed the glasses from the cabinet and began pouring them each a sample.

Lauren picked up her own and without even a flourish, she downed the small sip.

"Evony begins to fill her glass fully this time, "oh my, this is serious! That's a 100 year old Bordeaux and you didn't even appreciate it!"

Lauren signed rubbing her palm repetitively over her tired eyes as she leaned back in her chair. She took a deep breath and looked at the smiling Evony. She reached out for the refilled glass offered to her. Finally admitting, "It's been a pretty eventful day and I needed to feel useful and here is where I am my most useful, you know that. Which reminds me, you haven't been in for your monthly blood tests."

"It's been over a year since you returned me to my glorious state, and nothing has changed yet, what is a few extra days? Now stop trying to change the subject. I'm here for you tonight. Because honey, you really look like you could use a shoulder." She held her glass up high to Lauren before taking a sip.

Lauren looked seriously at Evony, "I told you, we have to be vigilant, we don't know how long or if your previous illness..."

Evony interrupted, "yes, yes you've said it a million times. You are very thorough doctor, which is why your frustration I overheard when I came in is so perplexing! I mean you, worried about tainting samples? You are to thorough for such a thing! So as much as you know I love to talk about myself, stop trying to change the subject, Lauren. I heard you mention Dagny and by your state, it seems to be rather distressing, is something wrong with Dagny?"

Lauren downed her glass of wine and reached over to grab the bottle to refill it. "Well, no. Dagny is in perfect health. I don't know Ev. I have no explanation for the results that I am getting. Maybe I'm just too tired. I really don't want to talk about it until I know for sure." She finished with a yawn.

Evony got up from her seat while asking her, "Are you going home or are you sleeping here, like usual?" Lauren began shaking her head no at the former so Evony grabbed her hand and pulled Lauren up. Motioning for her to finish her glass of wine and then steered the reluctant Lauren back towards her office, pushing her through the door and over towards her day bed. After pushing her to sit, she pulled a chair over to sit in front of her. Lauren put her hands flat on the mattress behind her and leaned her head back. Evony leaned forward and patted her knee. "I now it's wasted words but Stop thinking for a change and Try to get some sleep, dear." Lauren nodded as she kicked off her shoes and laid back.

Evony got up and began to leave. She turned back over her shoulder, "see you at brunch tomorrow"

Lauren nodded as her eyes had already started to close. Evony shook her head as she turned off the lights and locked up as she left.

It was early in the morning when Lauren walked into the apartment she and Bo shared. She expected to sneak into bed, the way she usually did after a long night at the lab, but was surprised to hear a crash in one of the upstairs guest rooms. She looked around and grabbed one of the swords off the wall and crept up the stairs. She was about to push the first door open when she heard Bo's voice and a sniffle coming from the room they used as storage.

She leaned the sword against the wall and headed to the door, pushing it open to see the room in complete disarray. Bo was currently digging through one of the few overturned boxes that was left. She immediately ran over to Bo, her voice as soothing as she could be as she put her hands on her shoulders. Bo jumped at the touch and turned with her dagger already drawn.

Lauren put her hands up quickly, "hey, hey it's just me. I didn't mean to sneak up on you..."

"Oh shit, Lauren I'm so sorry!" Bo apologized. Her voice was shay. She had been so focused, the sudden touch had sent her into defensive mode. It wasn't until she moved more fully into the light that Lauren noticed her eyes rimmed in red. "Hey, hey Bo, You've been crying." she looked around the room, and guided Bo to sit down as she asked, "where's Dagny, and what's going on?"

Bo resisted sitting at first but finally relented, placing her face in her hands. She explained that Dagny was asleep. She didn't mention that she had been digging through these boxes since Dagny had drifted off or why she was so frantic.

To her credit, Lauren didn't push. She never did. It is the pattern they had settled in. Bo had realized long ago that it wasn't only others keeping things from her. She did it to everyone, as well and no one more so, than Lauren.

It was when she finally realized that Tamsin wasn't coming back that she realized she no longer had that avenue to speak freely about those deep dark thoughts. The things she could never tell Kenzi. Try as she might, Kenzi wouldn't be able to understand and at times the very knowledge could even have put her in further danger. When Kenzi left with Dagny, Bo wanted to respect her disconnect from the Fae, so she kept more and more to herself. Leaving her with no outlet.

When she tried to turn to Lauren, she was usually in her lab, immersed in some project, trying to undo what she had done to Evony and when that problem was solved she found that Lauren would often not understand what it was that Bo needed to say, or what she needed Lauren to hear. She would resort to a scientific explanation, when it wasn't actually the cause of the current issue but that was how Lauren looked at things. They had learned to keep things from one another, both fearing to upset the other. Ignoring it was the only way Bo could live with the guilt every time she saw the momentary pained look in Lauren's eyes when they both knew she had to hunt. On the surface, at first, Lauren had tried to deal with her nature and what she had to do, but Bo could always tell when they touched after Bo had been with someone else, that Lauren would recoil. It was only ever for an instant but, it was perceptible to Bo. It finally became a mutual understanding. Added to the list of things they no longer spoke about. They did the only thing they could, they left each other to their own vices, and didn't speak of what they couldn't change. Of course, hiding the issues rarely solved them, only made the pain and loneliness reach deeper.

Bo absentmindedly followed Lauren to the kitchen, her mind deep in thought and allowed her to push her into the chair as she moved back to make them something to eat. It was their ritual. Lauren didn't push. She never did. And Bo didn't offer an explanation, she forgot how.

Bo leaned back into the chair, her mind going back to the conversation she had had with Dagny when they had been getting ready for bed. She had explained to Dagny how she, how they had all watched over her for the first years of her life. How they had decided the best way to keep her and Kenzi safe was to allow her to live in the human world as fully as she could. There were moments when Bo would just ache to hold this child in her arms. To laugh freely with her as Kenzi did. Much of her time spent away from home. Away from Lauren was spent just watching Dagny live her life and grow. She didn't understood the draw then, but now in hindsight and with how good it felt tonight, to put her arms around all that she had left of Tamsin, she could understand that those were the days she had needed Tamsin the most. The days she had missed her more than the day before.

Dagny's question from earlier rang in her ears, Why hadn't she done for Tamsin what she had done for Kenzi, what she would have done for Lauren? Dyson? Why had she simply accepted Tamsin's fate and not gone looking for some other way to return her to them? Bo had tried to explain that she had wanted to but Tamsin refused her chi.

She had told Kenzi it was ok to tell her everything about Tamsin. Even though Kenzi had tried to explain Bo and Tamsin's relationship as plainly as she could, Dagny's young emotional reasoning had caused her to be resentful of Bo for a short time. In her mind it was Bo turning her away that led to her mother's death. Bo had been ok at the time letting Dagny believe what made sense. She herself, sometimes even questioned herself. Because the alternative was to explain the one thing none of them were ready to explain, that all Valkyrie die in childbirth. Bo preferred Dagny blame her rather than herself. Kenzi had eventually been able to guide Dagny out of such thoughts and told her about their adventures.

But tonight, the anger Kenzi had described surfaced again. She was accusing Bo of not caring about her mother enough. That she doubted she had ever even thought of her since she had gone.

The truth of the matter was that Tamsin had been on her mind constantly since the day she had placed Dagny in her care. Months had gone by and the melancholy would still strike her. She began to feel like the only one who hadn't dealt with it, so she stopped talking about her less. Tamsin had become a player only in her dreams. But tonight, fueled by Dagny's emotion, she finally questioned herself. Why hadn't she done it anyway? Why hadn't she tried to go see her? She had the helshoes still, after all.

After Dagny put these questions in her mind, anew, she couldn't shake them. She had to know if Tamsin was indeed in Valhalla. She had to find Tamsin's phone. She had already torn most of the storage room up looking for it. She knew of no other way to contact Acacia. Acacia…..she must have wanted them to know, otherwise why would she have left the diary to that page. She looked at Lauren, the woman she had chosen to spend her life with, who was busy making their food. Her eyes had already begun tearing up as she had sat and thought. The corner of her lips turned down slightly, her bottom lip poked out a bit as she tried to keep herself from crying again as she realized that these past years since Dagny's arrival should have been some of the most satisfying for Bo. She had personally achieved so much, and yet she could honestly say, she had never felt more alone. There was something missing. There had been since that day.

She rose from the chair without saying a word and started her way back to continue her search for Tamsin's cell phone. She had to know. No, she needed to know.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive to the airport, to pick up Kenzi, had been a quiet one. Bo hadn't slept and Dagny was still a little angry after their argument the night before. As soon as they parked, Dagny jumped out of the car and started walking towards the airport entrance. Bo, just shook her head as she remained seated while watching the young blonde cross the drop off lanes. She sighed heavily as she grabbed her keys and got out of the car to follow. She kept Dagny in sight as she made her way to the baggage claim area where they were meeting Kenzi.

She stopped short of their meeting point, watching from a distance as the teenager fidgeted with her zipper while she looked around. This is how her life with Dagny had been. This is what she was comfortable with. Watching. Protecting. She had no idea how Kenzi did this. Parenting. Of course Bo had her experience with it. She was always on the receiving end of the phone calls when Kenzi would reach the end of her rope for whatever reason. However, at the moment, she was finding it was easy to give advice on being patient. Not so easy on doing it. She would always tell Kenzi that she would come around, and sure enough. Dagny always did.

Even though she knew it was irrational, she couldn't quash the feeling in the pit of her stomach. The one that told her brain that Dagny would never forgive her. That she would always see Bo as the one who let her mother down. Bo leaned against a pillar. Truth be told she wasn't even sure she would blame her, if she did.

Bo closed her eyes. Her mind going, again, back to that moment. The moment when Tamsin had refused her chi. she had always believed that she was doing what Tamsin had wanted. Letting her go. Letting her rise. Would she have let anyone else make that same choice, without her fighting it? Why didn't she fight her? Why didn't she try to bring her back? It wasn't that she had forgotten her. She couldn't forget Tamsin if she tried. All of this time, she would always be on her mind in some way or the other and it never even occurred to her to find out where she was or how she was doing.

She was tired and that made her even hungrier. So she continued to breathe in and out, slowly. Methodically. Trying to calm her mind. Allowing the noises around her to blend into a soothing white noise. Her focus wavered when she vaguely heard a cell phone ring somewhere nearby, she wished, yet again, that she had been able to find Tamsin's phone.

Her eyes snapped open at the only sound she had been listening for. Dagny had squealed Kenzi's name and was rushing forward to embrace her. Bo stood but didn't move. She watched as Kenzi squeezed her tightly and then backed off. Then her eyes went wide and serious, as she no doubt, admonished Dagny for running off. Dagny dropped her head slightly as her feisty little friend used her hands to emphasize every word out of her mouth. Bo smiled and huffed out a laugh as she heard some familiar and very bad Russian words, and then Kenzi pulled her back into a hug again. It was over Dagny's shoulder, that her eyes met Bo's. They were understanding eyes. Kenzi knew the weight that Bo would always put on her own shoulders and her eyes reflected that.

Bo had called Kenzi the night before, right after Dagny had finally cried herself to sleep. Bo had explained what all had happened that night after they found Dagny and ended up practically begging Kenzi to look through the things of Tamsin's that she had carried with her. Hoping she would find a phone number or away to get in touch with Acacia or one of the other Valkyries. After Kenzi had suggested Tamsin's cell phone, Bo had abruptly gotten off the phone and began tearing through the storage room.

Kenzi broke the eye contact with Bo to focus back on her young charge. Bo couldn't catch what she said, but she saw Dagny nod while her friend dug in her purse, then reach up and wiped the young girl's face.

Dagny stood with her back turned as Kenzi started towards Bo. Bo's smile reached her eyes as she moved forward to meet her.

After Bo had disappeared on her that morning, Lauren had found her back in the storage room. She only vaguely acknowledged Lauren telling her she was going to work and that she would see her later. It bothered Lauren that Bo wouldn't explain what she was looking for, or even talk to her about what had happened with Dagny the night before.

She had checked in on the young Valkyrie before she left for the lab and found her still sleeping. She stood in the doorway as she watched the young girl sleeping soundly and peacefully. The tests she had run the night before, still weighing on her own mind.

As soon as she arrived at her lab, she checked on the samples she had prepared the night before. She was pleased to see that the cells had grown as rapidly as she had hoped. She mentally thanked the rapid Valkyrie cell growth because she needed a much deeper DNA profile in order to more thoroughly examine the Fae markers. Even before Dagny had arrived and the handprint was visible on her chest, they had all believed it was important to understand Hades right down to the molecular level. The blood he had allowed them to draw, as well as the blood of two of his children could help them do that. Lauren had even devoted a good portion of her time, since Dagny was born, understanding every nuance of his physicality.

The problem was, that even though the fae markers that she had isolated in Tamsin's blood were definitely duplicated in Dagny's pubescent blood. There was that anomaly that she couldn't explain. There was a familiarity to it, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She set everything up to begin her complete DNA profile and compared the results to those of Hades. She was sitting at her desk going over the results for the third time that day when her phone rang.

"Hey Lauren. Kenzi arrived safely this morning and now that we've gotten her all settled, we were about to have lunch. I wanted to apologize for how I was acting this morning, so I was hoping you would go with us?" asked Bo on the other line.

Lauren was only partially listening to her and finally laid the paper down in front of her, when she heard the genuine remorse in her voice. "You have nothing to apologize for. You have a lot on your mind."

Bo laughed a little, "When do I not have a lot on my mind? I know I've been moody. Maybe you should check on my hormones or something..."

Lauren perked up when a thought crossed her mind at Bo's words. "Listen Bo, it's ok. I mean it. I'm really sorry to be abrupt, but I am right in the middle of something important and I really need to go. You all have fun and I will see you tonight." She didn't even wait for Bo to say anything, before she hung up the phone.

She went back over to the computer and tapped a few keys. Her eyes, jumped about on the screen and down to the paper in her hand. She involuntarily let out a small painful sound when she realized that there was no room for doubt. She leaned back in her chair. Her eyes still glued to the screen when she uttered, "How is this possible?"

Bo stood there looking at her phone when Kenzi spoke up, "so where are we meeting Hotpants?"

Bo shook her head, "she's busy with something and can't come"

Kenzi studied Bo for a second, she new there was more to it, but figured Bo had her reasons for not explaining so she shrugged, "Oh well, we'll catch her later. Come on. I need to get my drink on! That was a loooong flight and something tells me, this day is just going to be longer."

Bo shrugged it off too and slipped the phone in her pocket, as she looked at Kenzi then nodded towards Dagny, who was leaning against the car and texting someone. "So, is she still upset with me? She hasn't spoken to me all day."

Kenzi slapped her on her back as she gently nudged her towards the car, "Eh she's a teenager, Bo. She is currently more involved with getting her little smooching friend to accept her apology. You just have to roll with it, trust me it's better that way. We will work on it AFTER I get a few drinks in me, Okay?"

Bo smiled lightly and nodded as she opened the door and slipped into the driver's seat.

It was late afternoon and Lauren was attending to her patients, when she saw a familiar form with arms crossed, leaned against the wall near the front door. She kept the woman in her line of sight as she called her nurse over. She handed her the medical file and gave her a few instructions before excusing herself from her current patient.

She walked over to the woman. "Acacia? You don't look hurt, are you here for a checkup?

Still leaning against the wall, Acacia laughed, "I'm fit as a fiddle Doc. No, I'm just here to satisfy my curiosity." She continued to smirk at Lauren

The scrutiny made Lauren uncomfortable and it was visible, "oh...okay. So, what does your curiosity have to do with me?"

Acacia stood upright and looked around at the other people in the room and asked, I bet dealing with Fae all of the time, I expect you have a bottle of something strong laying around here somewhere. How about you lead me to it and then we'll talk?" She posed it as a question, but Lauren could tell it was not a request.

Lauren nodded nervously, "You have no idea." She turned and began walking towards her office, stopping by the desk to let her nurse know that she would be unavailable for a little while, then glanced back to make sure the intimidating woman was still following her. Sure enough she was there with the same smirk still on her face.

When Lauren didn't immediately move from the front desk, Acacia huffed out a laugh and held her hand out, "after you Doc."

Lauren smiled a tight smile and chuckled nervously, "oh kaay" and continued on to her office. She glanced around the triage area as Acacia entered her office. Satisfied that everything was taken care of outside she reluctantly closed her door behind her. She went over to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Grappa. When she turned around to head to her desk she saw that Acacia had sat down in her own chair and was swinging her feet up on top of her desk. She mumbled to herself, "make yourself comfortable" then turned back and uttered, "Definitely something stronger as she put the bottle currently in her hand back in exchange for the aged bottle of Scotch whiskey. She grabbed two glasses and sat them on her desk. She remained standing as she poured each of them a glass.

Acacia glanced at the bottle, quirked up her eyebrow and smiled. She sniffed the liquid and her smile became genuine. "I'm impressed Doc! What is it they used to say about this stuff?' She pretended to think a moment with her finger on her chin then held it up and recited, "One sip and you live forever, two sips and you go blind, three sips and you expire on the spot!" She laughed out and held her glass up in a toast "Here's to never going to hell, but always being on our way!", then downed the entire glass, letting out a satisfied sigh when the contents were gone. Lauren's eyebrows raised slightly as she took a small but generous sip. When Acacia continued to stare at her, she took another sip and then sat the glass down on the desk.

Acacia continued to study her. It was her power as a Valkyrie, after all to sense doubt and use it. She purposely allowed the silent tension to build. She finally dropped both of her feet to the floor. Making a noise that made Lauren jump a little, then with a small smirk in the corner of her lips, she leaned over for the bottle. Lauren picked it up and handed it to her. Acacia began to fill her glass again. She took a large gulp while scooting Lauren's desk chair back and leaned forward. Her eyes still on Lauren, she leaned over putting her elbows on her knees with her glass in both hands in front of her. She finally asked, "so, am I correct in assuming that you have thoroughly checked out Tamsin's kid?"

Lauren straightened as she looked down at Acacia, amazed that the fact that she was still standing and this woman was sitting made her no less intimidated and she answered as matter of factly and yet defiantly as she could. "Dagny...her name is Dagny and yes. I have. But, I can't divulge any other information without her permission."

Acacia laughed, "Yeah, yeah. Save it. Problem with that is that I can't help you if you don't help me, now can I?"

Lauren drank another sip and feeling the warmth from the strong liquid in her cheeks she answered a little more boldly," Well for one, I didn't ask for your help with anything and two, it was you who came to me to satisfy your curiosity. Isn't that what you said?"

Acacia chuckled again before downing the remaining contents of her glass. She nodded and replied, "Hmmm. Well, I did indeed." She stood abruptly, sat her empty glass on the desk and headed toward the door.

Before she reached the door. Lauren said incredulously, "W...Wait, that's it?"

Acacia turned to look at her and lightly tapped her forehead with her palm, "You're right! I'm always forgetting my manners. Thanks for the drink!" She tilted her head forward slightly in thanks then turned back towards the door.

Lauren had dealt with the Fae long enough to know she was being manipulated, but she also knew that Acacia could have some answers to questions she had at the moment, including if Tamsin was in Valhalla or not. She wasn't blind to the fact that even after all of this time, Tamsin was still important to Bo and she wanted to help not only her but Dagny as well, so she sighed and then relented, "I'm sorry let's start over Acacia. How about you start by telling me what you want to know and we can go from there."

Acacia stopped in her tracks. The victorious smirk that momentarily crossed her face turned into a much less overbearing smile by time she was fully facing Lauren. She pretended to contemplate what she would say as she looked up at the ceiling. Then finally settled her gaze back on Lauren, "Look, I can appreciate your discretion. It's valiant and I can respect that. So, How about I start. Do you want to know when I first realized that Tamsin was pregnant?"

Lauren stepped back and sat on the edge of her desk as she nodded.

"It was when she was unable to doubt Freya, but was successful with me." Acacia offered as she walked back over to Lauren's desk.

Lauren's eyes furrowed as she thought about the timeline of those events. She started, "But..."

Acacia was thumbing through several old volumes laying on her desk when she abruptly held up her hand, "no jumping ahead, human." She blew out through her mouth as she glanced over a few pages then without looking up she added. "It's no secret that Freya and I are practically the same age." Then she looked up at Lauren, an air of confidence now on her already smug face, "I'm actually stronger than she is, if you want to know the truth. But, Tamsin? When she was finally able to doubt me. I knew that she was at the height of her powers." She tapped the books on Lauren's desk. "So, tell me Doc. What have you read about a Valkyrie reaching their true potential?"

Lauren relaxed a little, "well, I have read stories that say that the event is different for every Valkyrie and that while each Valkyrie is capable of leaving a Legacy, not all do. Also, that the type of legacy also varies. The rest was mostly vague references but what was abundantly clear was that the Valkyrie must be in their last life and must embrace their inner strength allowing them to overcome their greatest fears."

Acacia smiled, put her finger to her nose, and then pointed at Lauren.

Then Lauren said, "Oh but, I will add that other than Tamsin, and her diary, I have not read of any other occurrences where that legacy was named as being a child."

Acacia replied with a laugh, "Excellent observation skills! You're pretty smart for a human. You will be happy to know, it is just as much a mystery to any of us, as well. As a matter of fact, what exactly Tamsin's legacy was wasn't clear to me until I saw her falter after having successfully doubted me. Can you tell me why that was?"

Lauren contemplated it for a moment, then her face changed to understanding when the idea came to her, "because not only did she have to exert so much energy on you, a baby also draws a considerable amount of energy?"

"Bingo!" shouted Acacia, "I could see no other explanation for a Valkyrie so strong to be weakened in her prime. Speaking to her afterwards, only confirmed my suspicion."

Lauren furrowed her brow, "it makes sense that a child would be a legacy, but why no mentions of it in those books?"

Acacia replied, "Even in human history, not all legacies are the same. It is actually quite rare for a Valkyrie to give birth. Perhaps that's why it hasn't been recorded. But, when it does happen there is generally a natural intent."

Lauren looked at her questioningly. To which Acacia replied, "natural selection. Individual qualities that our race needs to be passed down."

Lauren finally voiced the question she had wanted to ask from the beginning. "So, if everything you say is true. You are saying that Tamsin was pregnant before Hades pretended to be...Bo?"

Acacia nodded, "I am indeed...The other parent will be someone before that bastard even touched her." Acacia studied the almost imperceptible lines in Lauren's face. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Lauren looked away, "I knew that some things didn't add up. Yes."

Acacia moved to stand in front of Lauren again, she crossed her arms, "After meeting the kid, I have my suspicions, but that is why I am here. I want to be certain. I may be the current ruler of Valhalla but I am bound by the same bond that Tamsin was, so most of what I have told you can be found in any of those books. If you know where to look. The rest is not bound to Valhalla. To be honest, I don't have the time to wait for you to come to your own conclusions, so I am a little more forthcoming than usual. But, I have it on very good authority that Hades did tests on the baby in-utero when Tamsin was his prisoner, and I can only assume that whatever it is that you already know, it is safe to say, he does as well."

Lauren asked "how can you be so sure your information is accurate?"

Never taking her eyes off of Lauren, Acacia offered. "That's not really very important at this point, you are just going to have to take my word for it that I believe my source…. completely. While your succubus may have vanquished his worthless body, you can be assured that the evil is not gone. So, tell me Doctor, I'm sure Tamsin shared her escapades with you. You were after all her doctor?" Lauren nodded in affirmation so Acacia continued. "You should be looking for someone Tamsin had been with 2 to 3 months before she faced Freya. I'm no expert but I do know that before it accelerates, the first few months of a Valkyrie pregnancy is very much like the human cycle, horrible mood swings and all. After talking to Tamsin, I'm confident that her trigger, or key as she called it in her diary, would have been someone Tamsin trusted completely. She would have willingly given herself to them. Fully opening her heart, with no regrets despite any consequences." Acacia's features had softened as she had spoken. But, she slightly shook her head and the softness was gone. "So...Any ideas of who it could be, doctor?

Lauren closed her eyes as she nodded. "I have an idea, yes. But, it's an impossible option."

Acacia poured herself another drink as she added, "That's because you are thinking like a human. You work with Fae, so you should already know that sometimes you have to think outside the box."

Lauren furrowed her brow.

Acacia sighed as she rolled her eyes, "We are a race of females, Doctor. It would be in err, not to mention rather egotistical of you, to expect a race far superior to your own, to have to adhere to your human rules of procreation."

Lauren only stared at Acacia.

Acacia sighed again, frustrated with the current progress of the conversation. "Let's put together what we know, shall we?" She held up her hand and raised a finger for each point. "1) an all-female race. 2) Not all Valkyries give birth. 3) Childbirth leads to death for the pregnant Valkyrie. So, how do you expect we keep up our numbers?"

Lauren sat on her desk again, her legs felt a little shaky. She answered quietly, "same-sex reproduction."

Acacia nodded "Finally! So, now that I have enlightened you a little into our ways and from the look on your face, I am quite certain, my suspicions where correct. There's no doubt, is there?"

Lauren could only shake her head no.

Acacia nodded, "Well, then my curiosity silenced, I believe I am done here." She grabbed a pen from the desk and wrote something before handing the paper to Lauren. "I expect there will be questions, here is my number." She nodded and started to walk away but stopped after a few steps and turned around, once again facing Lauren. She patted her shoulder with a smug smile. "No worries Doctor. I wouldn't dream of stealing your thunder. You can share the good news. You are the Doc after all!" with a laugh, she turned to go.

Lauren called out to her, right as she reached the door, "Acacia?" The woman turned back around to face her with a raised eyebrow, as Lauren asked, "You said you suspected after meeting Dagny. Why?"

Acacia replied with a smile, "There's no doubt in my mind that kid is a Valkyrie. A strong one at that." She held up her hand and turned it while looking at it, "but when she touched my hand? Well, let's just say it's a good thing I don't swing that way, because that girls a natural charmer, too!" she raised the hand she had been looking at and wiggled her fingers, "see ya." And out the door she went.

Lauren walked over to her chair and sat down heavily. Her eyes were already stinging. Too many thoughts going through her mind. Too many fears raising in her stomach, like bile. She raised the piece of paper in her hand and glanced at it. She rolled her eyes as she dropped her hand to the desk. She didn't even ask if Tamsin was in Valhalla or not. She shook her head as she reached over and grabbed her phone.

When the voice on the other end answered, she asked very shakily, "Evony, is it too late for you to have lunch?"

Evony was just finishing up with some disciplining problems when her assistant notified her of Lauren's arrival. She shewed everyone out of her office as Lauren came in. Lauren walked straight over to Evony's bar and poured herself a glass of wine, then sat heavily on the overstuffed couch.

Evony had seen her friend this frustrated before, so she sat back, without a word and waited for the wine to calm her. It still never ceased to amaze her that she granted a human such leniency and even more surprising, such compassion.

She was brought out of her internal musing when Lauren finally spoke. "Evony, how much do you know about Valkyries?"

Evony laughed smugly, "well darling, I am the leader of the dark, and I make it my business to know everything I can about the stronger Fae." She saw the forlorn look on Lauren's face and sighed. "What is it you want to know?"

Lauren looked at Evony, "Everything."

Evony laughed, "well, then we would be here all day. Do you really have that kind of time?" She softened a bit when Lauren didn't even attempt a polite laugh, so she asked her, "Does this have to do with what was bothering you yesterday? About Dagny?"

Lauren nodded. "Tell me about how the Valkyries, propagate their species. I mean it is a race of only women."

Evony sat back in her chair again, "Well, you know that I am only sharing this with you because i….trust you." Lauren finally offered a small smile as she nodded. "Ok then, as I am sure you know by now, a pregnant Valkyrie is a horrible thing to behold. All moody, clingy and irrational. I suppose it doesn't bode very well to have a warrior break down in tears as they are prone to do, on the battlefield. It certainly was unbecoming on Tamsin. As such, it is uncommon for a Valkyrie to become pregnant much less, given their self-imposed suppression of emotion, to make a connection with another being long enough for them to meet the requirements to become fertile." Evony stopped for a moment and thought, "Come to think of it ,while he was incredibly charming, I don't believe I am familiar with whatever way Hades tricked Tamsin into letting her guard down for such a thing to even happen."

Lauren finally interrupted to ask, "What do you mean when you say requirements to become fertile?"

Evony poured herself a glass of wine, "well, I am no doctor, but most of the Valkyrie I know, and as most are Dark Fae, that is a lot. They tend to be quite the sexual beings. SO, it wouldn't do for them to be fertile all of the time, especially over the many lifetimes that they have. As I understand it, they must be in their final life, and there must be a deep and rather uncommon emotional bond with their partner. It requires a great sacrifice of self for them to become fertile. There are actually some incredible love stories in your human history of some of the Valkyries who did suffer such a wretched fate." She thought on it for a few moments longer and then after shaking the thought off she finally continued, "Anyway, as you also know, there's that unfortunate added symptom of dying after childbirth, which also succeeds in keeping the Valkyries from seeking out a true connection with others. As you can imagine, since an actual Valkyrie pregnancy is so rare, that there is another way and that way may not be comfortable to you." She looked at Lauren, whose face had paled slightly since she walked in. "Lauren?"

Lauren shook her head, "I'm sorry Evony, this is exactly what I needed to know. Please continue."

Evony was quiet for a moment, as she thought over what she had said. She knew Tamsin had become very close with the sunshine gang, but she couldn't imagine what she had said that would cause Lauren to be so visibly distressed. She sighed but continued, "Well, as with most Fae, Valkyries use human hosts, human women to be exact. They were particular in their selection, as the woman would have to be strong to survive such a robust child and pregnancy as well as to pass down desirable features and strengths outside of the dominant Fae genes the baby would be carrying. Needless to say, it's one of the few exceptions to the rule that a Fae born of a human will be human." In hopes of brightening Lauren's mood she added as she laughed, "as a matter of fact, back in the days when chastity was a coveted disposition amongst the humans, not knowing the origins, they considered a Valkyrie induced pregnancy a "virgin birth", can you imagine?" Evony chuckled but still barely a reaction from Lauren. So she took a deep breath and continued, "Well, At any rate, most of the time, the human mother is disposed of after the birth, and the child left in the care of the elders amongst the Valkyrie. I have heard of favored humans who would breed with several Valkyries over their lifetime. One added insight is that Valkyries born from a Valkyrie, generally tend to be the stronger among the ranks." She had been pacing and finally stopped to look at Lauren again, "Lauren, I have told you quite a bit, things that I doubt you could find outside of a dying Valkyries mouth, so how about you tell me why this interest?" She sat down on the other end of the couch to look at her.

Lauren took a deep breath and finally looked up at Evony. She was on the verge of tears at this point, which prompted Evony to reach out, grab her hand and squeeze. "Lauren?"

Lauren closed her eyes and breathed deeply, then opened them to look into the concerned face. "Evony, I ask that you give me the same discretion as you expect from me, for what I am about to tell you. To be honest, I need to say it out loud, because with it rolling around in my head, it becomes harder and harder for me to deal with. Please just be my friend right now and don't use this information against anyone?"

"Lauren, I give you my blood oath."

"Evony…." She closed her eyes again, Hades isn't Dagny's father."

Evony leaned back, a perplexed look on her face as she looked off towards the wall, then finally back to Lauren, "but I thought…."

Lauren was shaking her head, "Evony, we all thought he was, but I ran the tests myself. I compared the results many times.

"If it's not Hades, then who….." finally understanding Lauren's distraught demeanor, "Oh, Lauren. Bo is the other parent."

Lauren nodded, the tears were now coming unrestricted from her eyes. "Bo and Tamsin are Dagny's parents and I don't know how or even if I can tell Bo! We have been so distant from one another and Bo gets so distracted. I now she thinks about Tamsin far more than she admits to. Evony, what will this do to our relationship? When she finds out and wants to spend more time with Dagny? And After everything you've told me, what will it do to Bo to know how much Tamsin had to have loved her?"

Evony was quiet but she finally reached for her hand again, "Lauren, I do understand your fears, more than I can even explain, but darling, however you do it. You must tell her and it's my experience with the succubus and her trust issues, the sooner the better."

Lauren squeezed Evony's hand, "I know….I now you're right. I just…..I couldn't bear to lose her.


	4. Chapter 4

Kenzi rolled over in her bed. She could tell from the light in the window that it was just barely light out. She groaned as she pulled the covers over her head, willing herself back to sleep. She turned noisily from side to side but to no avail. The heavenly smell, wafting into her room was too inviting. She sat up, huffed out a burst of air, and mumbled, "Guess I'm getting up at the ass crack of dawn." she flung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled the covers around her as she followed her nose to the source of the early morning wake up.

Padding downstairs, she slowed when she saw that it was only Bo in the kitchen. She glanced around hoping to see Lauren. No one knew better than Kenzi that the products of Bo's culinary skills had never been safe for human consumption, so the smell wafting into her nostrils surely was not by the hands of her bestie.

She slid into the stool at the counter, pulling her blanket around her. "Whatcha doing there BO?"

Bo jumped a little as she turned around at the sudden voice. "Morning Kenz! You snuck up on me!"

Kenzi leaned over and put her elbows on the counter, cupping her chin to lean over. "Snuck up on you? You're getting rusty there succubritches. So, where's Lauren...I need to have words with her for waking me up so early."

Bo looked at Kenzi confused, "Lauren woke you up?"

Kenzi flung her hand towards the stove and the pile of bacon sitting next to it. "Food, Bo-Bo. Delicious, yummy bacon at that."

Bo finished pouring the cup of coffee and slid it across to Kenzi as she laughed, "well, you can blame me, then. I couldn't sleep. So, I decided to make breakfast for everyone."

Kenzi leaned back laughing. "Oh Bo, surely ye jest! The last time I remember you making bacon, it was so smoky in the shack, I could smell it in my hair AND clothes for a week!"

Bo nodded, smiling a little at the memory. "Well, that was before I had cooking lessons." she laid her hands down on the counter leaned over and seriously looked her straight in her eyes. "Kenz, brace yourself…."

Kenzi's eyes went wide as she froze.

Bo couldn't keep the straight face and smiled through a shrug, "I can cook now."

Kenzi rolled her eyes, "cooking lessons! You?" Bo just nodded and Kenzi incredulously replied, "that's gotta be an omen of some impending doom somewhere."

Bo rolled her eyes this time as she playfully rolled her eyes, feigning hurt as she said "hardy har, har." She turned back to tend to her bacon, "Seriously though, A couple years back, Lauren and I went to classes." She glanced over her shoulder at Kenzi and twirled her tongs in the air as she mimicked a serious uppity tone, "to help with our communication issues." She laid the last pieces of bacon on the platter and turned around, placing it in front of Kenzi, who asked, "well, did it help?" as she picked up a piece and took a bite.

Bo laughed at her best friend as she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the bacon. "Not really." The corners of her mouth turned down, her eyes were downcast as she folded a kitchen towel. "I apparently don't cut vegetables the most efficient way, I don't follow directions properly…..and a bunch of other stuff." She looked back up at Kenzi with a defeated look on her face. "Basically, Kenz, I make burgers. Mac and cheese and she makes things I can't pronounce." She popped a small piece of bacon in her mouth as she turned to flip an omelet from a pan. She held the freshly plated omelet up for Kenzi, "You want one?"

Kenzi's eyes lit up. "Duh?! That one looks and smells delish!"

Bo smiled as she placed the plate on the counter and then grabbed two forks. They ate in silence except for Bo laughing at the small contented noises Kenzi would make as she ate much more of the omelet than Bo did. She finally grabbed her own coffee mug, sipping it as she leaned back on her stool and watched the young girl finish it up.

When Kenzi was finishing up her coffee, Bo got up and went back toward the stove, "any idea what Dagny would like in her omelet." When Kenzi didn't respond Bo turned to look at her and laughed when she saw her using her finger to wipe up the plate. "You do know, I can make you another one, right?"

Kenzi popped her finger in her mouth, as she shook her head, no. "I'm good. And Dagny? Anything full of preservatives, fat and sugar. Must be a Valkyrie thing. Eat whatever you want, figure of a model..." the rest she mumbled under her breath about how unfair it all was.

Bo was about to open the refrigerator door when Kenzi startled her with a sudden, "OH!"

"We had a little chat last night. I know this has all been a lot for her and for you. Teenagers don't really think things through. They jump to conclusions and my God can they be emotional."

Bo had grabbed a few ingredients and laid them on the counter. "Ohhhh kay?"

"I mean we talked about you Bo. I know I said it would blow over. But, sometimes ya gotta grease the wheels a little. Point them in the right direction and all."

Bo stopped chopping the onion and looked up at Kenzi. "And what direction is that Kenz?"

"I cannot believe I'm gonna say this to YOU, but since you have important cooking duties" she leaned back in her chair shaking her head, "yep, it sounded just as weird coming out of my mouth as it did in my head…." She shook her head to bring herself back on topic, "Long story short, Bo-Bo. You don't need this extra added drama of having a teenager….well…teenage on you."

Bo chuckled a little, "Teenage on me?"

"You know! Overdramatic and all? It's hard enough for me to deal with sometimes, but you just seem to be so preoccupied….and well… don't take this the wrong way. Cuz you are all big and bad and everything but you look kinda terrified when you think you are going to be alone together.

Bo laughed uncomfortably, "I am not terrified! And what do you mean preoccupied?"

Come on Bo! Natural corn people watcher that I am, I've been here almost a week." She shrugged, " I notice things. Look, I know we still talked a lot when I was in Spain. But, I also know you keep a lot from me too."

Bo looked at her with deep concern on her face.

"Aww don't worry Bo-Bo. I understand why. After all, I am the one who wanted to be away from the Fae...for the most part. But, you? I know there's something going on in that succubusing head of yours. You seem so far away sometimes. I mean seriously." Kenzi dramatically pointed at herself with both hands, " I, the Queen of tripping over my own feet, snuck up on you while wearing a very large, loosely wrapped blanket AND half asleep." She leaned back over the counter, "So, dish! What's got you so distracted?"

Bo sighed as she finished up the vegetables, "I don't know Kenz. For the longest time, I thought it was the anticipation of when my father would rear his head, again. Or maybe I just have yet to wrap my head around everything that has happened since I found out who I was." She beat the eggs and put them on the stove. Then turned back to Kenzi. "I mean, I've felt this way since everything with Jack but, then Dagny walks into the Dal with his handprint..." Bo shook her head as she glanced up at the ceiling, as if hoping the words she was searching for would magically appear. "Kenz, as much as it's all been, none of it affected me as deeply as when Mark said he didn't think Tamsin was in Valhalla."

Bo took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Kenzi ate her bacon and waited patiently. "Do you know I didn't say her name out loud for over a year?" She laughed to herself. "Lauren and I went to this one counselor and she suggested we use "I" statements." She laughed out loud remembering back to that session. "I thought it was a great idea and brought up how it had been helpful for me and Tamsin when we first started working together." Bo sat down, "Lauren and I ended up in an argument right there in front of the counselor, and I still have no idea why. After that, it just seemed that every time, I mentioned Tamsin's name, then we would argue about something ridiculous. So, I just stopped saying it."

Bo leaned over with her elbows on the counter, her hands clasped together in front of her. She stared at her hands as she continued to speak. "And then Dagny walked into the Dal. And Then Acacia." She shook her head. "And now, the truth is... I can't think of anything else. I mean. You know I watched Dagny, Kenz. Over these past few years, and I would find myself wanting to talk to her. Hug her even. I would see her smirk and my heart would clench for a moment and I would just miss Tamsin so much...she always knew how to talk to me, how to ask the right questions. She got me, Kenz. She understood me even more than you did! I mean...every time Lauren and I tried to fix something that wasn't working, I could always remember how Tamsin would make it right, even if it was just by saying something shitty."

Kenzi laughed out loud. She knew Tamsin had a way of saying things.

Bo had a smile on her face, remembering some of the things Tamsin had said to her, she fiddled with her fingers, "Why didn't I do more Kenzi?" she lowered her head. "The truth is, Kenz, Dagny should be mad at me."

"Bo-Bo, I was there, remember? There was nothing you could do, except for completely go against Tamsin's wishes. This wasn't the same as Dyson after your Dawning, or even Hale. It was her time and she knew it, and you had to respect that. We all did." She reached over and grabbed Bo's hands, she was about to speak when they heard grumbling behind them. They both turned to see Dagny walking towards the kitchen rubbing her eyes, and not far behind was Lauren. Bo stood to get more food ready.

Dagny sat beside Kenzi, leaned against her, and closed her eyes, mumbling into the blanket, "I smelled food...why is there food so early in the morning?"

Kenzi stroked her head, "I know. I know, sweetie. Its why I'm awake too."

Lauren laughed at the two as she pecked Bo on the cheek then went to fix her coffee. Bo asked her if she was hungry and Lauren shook her head, no, while holding up her coffee. Then said, "I have to get to the clinic soon anyway." She winced as she watched Bo hit the egg against the bowls edge, picking a small fragment of shell out. Bo glanced over at Kenz, her eyes and head directing Kenzi's attention to how Lauren was doing just as Bo had described earlier. Lauren had grabbed another egg and went through the proper steps of cracking the egg seamlessly against the bowl. She nodded to Bo who smiled back as Lauren said, "it Smells good though." then sat down, and turned on her tablet.

Kenzi bumped the young Valkyrie, who looked at her, then rolled her eyes as she saw Kenz nod towards Bo. She sighed heavily as she got up and walked over to the other side of the counter where Bo was. "Ummm...Bo?"

Everyone looked over at them as Bo turned around to face her. Dagny glanced back at Kenzi who smiled and nodded in encouragement. "I know I shouldn't blame you for everything. This has just been...a lot for me...and... and...well, you are just way more beautiful than I expected."

Kenzi elbowed her and cleared her throat. Which prompted Dagny to continue, "I mean. Momz told me what all you've done for me, what you did for my Mom. How hard it was. I shouldn't blame you. I'm just sorry I took it out on you." Dagny wrapped her arms around Bo and buried her head in her hair at her last word.

Bo smiled at Kenzi over Dagny's head as she stroked her hair. She glanced over at Lauren who shot her a tight lipped smile then looked back down at her tablet. She squeezed Dagny then pulled back to look her in the eyes. "We will find a way to get a hold of Acacia, and we will find out where she is, Okay?"

Dagny smiled as she nodded, "Now let me finish up your omelet." brushing a tear away as she turned back toward the stove.

Dagny sat back down by Kenz, who gently patted her back. Kenz stared at the young Valkyrie proudly for a moment then looked up at Bo's back and asked "so finding Tamsin's phone was a bust, any idea yet how to get ahold of her?"

Lauren looked up suddenly, and asked, "Tamsin's phone?"

Bo turned around with the pan in her hand, "Yeah we have looked all over for it, hoping to get Acacia's number at least."

Lauren nodded slowly, "I think I can help you with that." She stood and went over to her bag, then pulled out a folded slip of paper, and handed it to Bo.

Bo flipped the omelet out onto a plate and slid it over to a very appreciative young Valkyrie. After setting the pan down, she opened up the folded paper. She looked up at Lauren. "Where did you get this from Lauren?"

Lauren stood up and started packing away her tablet, her back turned to the others as she did so. "Oh, Acacia left it at the clinic."

Bo walked over to where Lauren was busy trying to pack her work things up and put her hand on her shoulder, "Lauren, when did Acacia come by the clinic, and why didn't you tell me about it?"

Lauren slung the strap to her bag over her shoulder, "It was just a few days ago, Bo. You used to say that you didn't trust Acacia and she was more trouble than she was worth to Tamsin so, I didn't even think about it until Kenzi mentioned it just now." She glanced down at her watch, "oooh! I have to get to work."

The truth was, Lauren had not been able to stop thinking about it. It had been all she could do, just watching Bo and Dagny hug. Part of her wanted to just tell Bo the whole truth, but at the same time she was too afraid of what the truth would mean.

Bo stopped her from getting closer to the door, with a hand placed gently on her forearm, "Why did Acacia come to see you, Lauren?"

Lauren shrugged, She was still hiding her nervousness, but she knew if she didn't hurry up and leave the anxiety would overwhelm her, "Because I'm Dagny's doctor and she was just... inquiring about her, making sure she was healthy and all. Look Bo, I didn't realize it was so late, I really need to get going. I have a lot of meetings today so I should get going." Realizing Bo wanted to ask more questions, she patted Bo's hand and gave her a small smile. "Besides, Bo, if you had told me that's what you had been looking for then, I could have helped you find it."

Bo could only nod, because she hadn't really let Lauren in on just how much she wanted to talk to Acacia or even that Tamsin's phone was what she had been looking for in their storage room.

Lauren nodded again, kissed Bo's cheek and waved to Kenzi and Dagny, who mumbled their goodbyes as they shared Dagny's omelet.

Bo just stood there, leaned against the counter staring at the number as Kenzi watched her then glanced back at the door. Kenzi could see what had just happened between the two clear as day, Lauren was hiding something and Bo felt too much guilt, as usual, to press her any further. Kenzi shook her head a little made a mental note to talk to the good Doctor, later. She sighed and went back to the shared omelet as Bo picked up her phone and tapped in the number.

Unfortunately, it went straight to voicemail. She left a quick message to return her call and laid her phone down on the counter and looked back up to see Dagny and Kenzi with full mouths, chewing slowly, staring at her. She couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. Kenzi's eyes went wide as she motioned with her head to Bo's phone. Bo finally got her meaning and said, "Oh. Voicemail. Guess it's too early?"

Kenzi continued chewing as she nodded yes.

Bo glanced at the number again, then slipped it in her pocket before turning back to the dishes and throwing everything else in the dishwasher. She sighed then finally turned back to Kenzi and Dagny. "I have a full day, myself. Vex said something about meeting him for a new case later tonight, too. So, I may be late. But, I could probably squeeze in some lunch. So, what are you two up to today?"

Kenzi got up and put their dish in the dishwasher. "You may have fed me, and I may look like I'm awake but its still way too early for such questions! SO! Now that the offensive bacon is disposed of properly. I feel a nap coming on! But, you should definitely take Dag, here." She pushed a reluctant Dagny towards Bo as she twirled her free hand around as she smirked. "You know. Since you are so good with teenagers. You could Show her around, what you do."

Dagny and Bo stared at each other as Kenzi yawned grandly while slowly moving up the stairs.

By lunch time, Bo still hadn't found a comfortable groove with Dagny. They had shared a few laughs, and even some meaningful moments. But, the majority of their time had been spent in awkward silence.

It gave them both a lot of time to think.

Bo would frequently check her phone. Hoping Acacia had called back. With each futile glance, Bo's anxiety rose. She knew she hadn't offered Lauren any information when she had been frantically searching the house. She knew that she was uncomfortable talking to Lauren about Tamsin anymore. But, Lauren speaking to Acacia was a big thing. How could Lauren not understand that! It was something that she should have shared with Bo. Shared with someone! After all, Lauren was there when they had begun to doubt Tamsin's whereabouts. Bo wondered, did she even ask her Acacia?

While stopped at a stoplight. Bo glanced over at Dagny who was, as seemed to be usual, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket, looking out the window as she bounced her head and moved her lips to the music being pumped through her earbuds. Bo couldn't help but smile as her mind drifted back to a similar time with a young Tamsin. Especially that day in the interrogation room with her and Dyson.

On the surface Dagny put on a brave front, but when she didn't know anyone was watching, Bo could see the same awkward innocence she had seen in Tamsin. Bo sighed. It seemed so long ago now. But as she continued to watch Dagny, that familiarity comforted her more than she could even explain.

Dagny, feeling the scrutiny, turned to meet Bo's gaze. Bo wanted to look away but her green eyes were piercing. So familiar. So soothing. Pulling her earbuds out of her ears, Dagny's expression changed from one of curiosity to a warm smile. Bo's own expression immediately mirrored hers. She shook her head in disbelief, as her voice came out almost in a whisper, "you look so much like your mom. It's like having her here with me."

That brightened Dagny's smile even more. The light changed and Bo turned her attention back to the road. Her smile suddenly changed to a frown. Her mind was made up. She put her blinker on and changed their course.

When they pulled up to the clinic, Dagny leaned her head over to inspect the building before turning back to Bo, a look of confusion on her face. They had been headed to a pizza place Bo had told her that her mother had loved.

Bo had been looking at the steering wheel as she thought it all through. Every time Lauren had kept something from Bo, when confronted Lauren would always react the same way, by reminding Bo of her own past shortcomings and then they would both add it to their mutual list of things they no longer talked about. That was the messiness they had accepted of being with each other on the hood of Bo's yellow beast so long ago. The list was there, silent but ever growing. The reasons for them to be mad at one another were beginning to overlap, making them strangers and Bo was tired of it.

Feeling eyes on her, she finally looked up from the steering wheel to see Dagny quietly observing her. Bo took a deep breath. She had decided she would be honest with Dagny.

They had decided from the beginning that Kenzi would tell her everything. Give her all the information that she needed, when she asked. She was a mature Fae, after all, even if her years did not reflect that. Relationships were all part of the life experience. SO, she smiled. "Dagny. I need to go and talk to Lauren. We will go for pizza after, I just…..I just have something that I need to get off my chest right now and I don't really think it is going to be pleasant. Could you stay here? Is that ok?"

Dagny nodded then propped her feet up on the dash while putting her earbuds in her ears.


End file.
